House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, 1)

Name: House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, 1)
Rating: 8.46 (1372 reviews)
ISBN: 9781635577020

The first book in the #1 bestselling Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas, author of the Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She'll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they'd only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive fantasy series by #1 bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom, and the power of love.

Other books in this series include:
House of Sky and Breath
House of Flame and Shadow

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Published Mar 2, 2021

816 pages

Average rating: 8.46

1,372 RATINGS

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What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say Sarah J. Maas delivers a richly immersive blend of fantasy, mystery, and modern elements in *House of Earth and Blood*. Reviewers consiste...

Kristin Rose

Feb 15, 2026

8/10 stars

4.5 ⭐️ I absolutely loved this book, but it was a little slow for me at times and a bit hard to get into. Urban fantasy is not my favorite, but this one was extremely well written. In my eyes, SJM can do no wrong. She is unmatched when it comes to writing about grief. I felt very connected to the characters and thoroughly enjoyed their respective developments. The ending had me in tears. I am super excited to continue with this series!

@MissLitLife

Feb 07, 2026

9/10 stars

I really, really, enjoyed this book :) :) I used to read a lot of fantasy in my youth but have not really dabbled as much in this genre as of late but as soon as I dived into the amazing world building and hierarchical structures of the City that impacts its citizens as well as the political intrigue, history and intricate plot work - I was all-in! The final chapters had me on the edge of my seat, sobbing, relishing, aching...and the unlikely (and perfect) love story between Bryce and Hunt made my heart soar I am very happy that I picked this up - one of my favorite reads of the year so far

Oree

Jun 25, 2025

8/10 stars

It felt like nothing was happening from pages 0 to around 650... then everything happened in the last 140 pages with like 5 ish pages leading you onto the next book.

Spice level is low... this book gets recommended with Quicksilver, but it's nowhere near as spicy, which isn't a bad thing as the story and world are interesting

TheCleverReader

Feb 03, 2023

10/10 stars

Wow. Just wow. Maas does it again. This was so so good! I can't wait for book two!

HappyDaph

Apr 13, 2026

10/10 stars

Okay, obsessed! Initially it was hard to get into the book. Mainly because I was still riding the high from Kingdom of Ash in the Throne of Glass series. This book just started with so much information to gather and was hard to really get into. That being said, I got a few chapters in and it picked up! I’m excited for what’s to come in this series!!!